Maneige

Quebec’s counterpart to Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, Maneige first built its reputation on intricate, free-improv-inflected progressive rock before shifting toward a percussion-heavy jazz-rock sound that brought modest commercial traction. That earlier phase concluded when clarinetist and pianist Jérôme Langlois exited in 1976. Every member of the ensemble had received formal classical training. In the early seventies Langlois and flutist-saxophonist Alain Bergeron led the semi-professional prog outfit Lasting Weep; the band dissolved in 1972, after which the pair joined drummer Gilles Schetagne, percussionist Paul Picard, and bassist Yves Léonard to establish Maneige. The group’s name is an intentional misspelling of manège, denoting both a carousel and, more figuratively, a roundabout, while also referencing the celebrated Yes track issued that same year.

During its formative period the music relied on acoustic instruments and a striking dialogue among Bergeron’s pastoral flute melodies, Schetagne’s knotty rhythms, and Langlois’s deliberate forays into atonality, producing work that stood apart from—and proved more demanding than—the offerings of other Quebec prog ensembles. Despite this complexity the group attracted a sizable following. In 1974 Maneige supported Ekseption in Montreal and was widely judged to have eclipsed the headliner. A contract with Harvest followed, and the musicians recorded the albums Maneige and Les Porches, issued only months apart in 1975. By that point percussionist Vincent Langlois and guitarist Denis Lapierre had joined the lineup.

Creative differences prompted Jérôme Langlois’s departure; he subsequently concentrated on scoring for film and television. The reconstituted Maneige moved to Polydor, trimmed song lengths, abandoned its avant-garde leanings, and concentrated on concise jazz-rock compositions for Ni Vent…Ni Nouvelle (1977) and the best-selling Libre-Service (1978). Under Bergeron’s memorable flute themes and the buoyant rhythm section the band gained FM exposure and contributed music for several television programs. A nationwide Canadian tour in 1978 was documented on the live album Composite (1979).

Appearances at a French festival and showcases in the United States the same year suggested the group’s profile was climbing, yet the decade’s close brought reversals: Schetagne departed and Polydor ended its association. Drummer Pierre Gauthier was recruited for Montréal 6am, issued on the independent label Intérim in 1980; the band also performed at Boston’s 350th-anniversary celebrations. Further exits reduced the roster to Bergeron and Léonard alone. Schetagne returned, accompanied by session keyboardist Claude Lemay (formerly of Pollen) and guitarist Michel Le François, to complete Images in 1981. Two years passed before the album found a release, by which time UZEB had elevated jazz-rock to fresh levels of sophistication, rendering Maneige’s approach dated. The ensemble disbanded soon afterward.